Salinity is no more a problem for farming

Rice cultivation was not possible in dry season in coastal areas of Bangladesh due to salinity of water and soil.

But farmers in Batiaghata upazila in Khulna have overcome this problem with the help and assistance of Proshika, an NGO.

They cultivated Boro paddy in the last season as Proshika demonstrated water management.

Usually, river water in the area is sweet from June to mid-February and saline in the rest of the year.

The farmers in the project area preserved river water in a canal in the dry season and used it in fields when salinity increased.

They harvested an average of three tons of rice per hectare in the last IRRI-Boro.

The yield will increase in the next season, some of the farmers said.

Proshika and Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) have jointly taken up a project at with the financial support of Poverty Elimination Through Rich Research Institute.

The project work started in 2002 and will continue up to June 2004.

The main objective of the project is to provide farmers with technical support for development and utilisation of coastal water resources.